Bengals' Mixon boycotts speaking to specific reporters

After he was found not guilty in an aggravated menacing case last week, Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon is opting not to speak to several media members from here on out.

In his first media availability since being cleared of charges, Mixon refused to speak with reporters following Sunday's practice and said he wouldn't talk with specific media members from ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Pro Football Network, and The Cincinnati Enquirer, according to ESPN's Ben Baby.

"It's not happening," Mixon said in a brief exchange before heading to the team's locker room, Baby reports.

The 27-year-old tailback cited disrespectful behavior as his reason for spurning certain reporters.

Peter Schaffer, Mixon's agent, shared a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, asserting that Baby was part of the problem.

"You know exactly why we don't talk to you," Schaffer tweeted. "You consistently look for the negative and always are putting the players down. We have given you ample chances to correct the situation, and you refuse. You made your bed, now sleep in it. Don't tweet to people that you don't know why."

Mixon was accused of pointing a firearm at a woman on Jan. 21 in Cincinnati, the day before the Bengals' playoff game against the Buffalo Bills. A judge acquitted Mixon of the misdemeanor aggravated menacing charge last Thursday following a four-day bench trial.

However, the former Oklahoma product is facing another legal issue. Mixon's sister and her boyfriend were indicted in March after shots were reportedly fired from Mixon's property at neighborhood teenagers. Mixon was named in a lawsuit filed by the parents of a 16-year-old who was shot in the foot. The civil action accuses Mixon of being negligent.

Cincinnati negotiated a restructured deal with Mixon that reduced his salary in the 2023 and 2024 seasons, per Over the Cap.

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